Category Archives: Commute

Repair the Man

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A melancholy melody embellished by the baritone voice of Sean Rowe travels into my brain through headphones while I disassemble the Mooney’s rear derailleur. His voice is a bit haunting and his lyrics inspire reflection. This peaceful moment of music induced meditation is interrupted by the constant recollection of aerial flight into the windshield and rearview mirror of the Chevy pickup that drove through my rear wheel without braking and without remorse. Trucks don’t feel.

I landed face down in the tarmac unable to lift myself. My breathing was labored and shallow. “Ribs”, I thought. I bellowed in pain like a harpooned walrus. It seemed to help. I tried to lift myself but the pain from the broken clavicle was enough for me to surrender to the generosity of a stranger as he thankfully redirected traffic until the arrival of the ambulance.

Three weeks into recovery I am compelled to ride. The Oxycodone makes me anxious, my mind lacks focus and thoughts of over 6 months of base building followed by 2 months of power building in the mountains of Georgia weaning away, weigh heavy on my mind. Idle time furrows the mind preparing for planting the seeds of despair. I feel broken.

The violence of the impact is evident in the dents and shape of the rear wheel. My rear wheel had been ripped from the drop outs and the chain was mysteriously pulled through the derailleur cage.  After a brief inspection it appears that the rear derailleur may be designed to allow this to occur. I made a couple attempts to open the cage wide enough to put the chain in the proper position. I needed to disassemble the cage. This led to cleaning then repacking the bearings, reassembly and adjustment.

While performing the repairs I became too tired to ride but my thoughts turned to riding and my mood improved. I lay back in bed satisfied for the moment with having accomplished a simple task. The Mooney is on the indoor trainer prepared for the ride.

It occurred to me as I wandered off into drug induced bliss, that when you repair the bike, you repair the man.

Return of the Commute

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Sick of my own whining I revert to my time honored solution for laying down mid-week miles. Yes, I have returned to commuting. Easier said than done, working the preparation and logistics into a routine takes some forethought and yields a few mistakes. Albeit, the same mistakes I made and mended the last time I started down this path which were the same… 

Yeah you get the picture, stop something long enough and your routine is no longer a routine.

The solution is in the doing.

Commuting by bike changes the rhythm of my day. I awake and leave the house a little earlier and cannot help feeling like it is Saturday morning. The ride itself never fails to make me feel connected to nature, really experience the weather and become part of the landscape unfolding before me. Although some motorists may temporarily derail the euphoric mood with their poor behavior I always return to center and feel more positive as the work day begins.

Cleaning up in a sink has its challenges but all can be overcome with good preparation. Monday I bring my Rapha Soignuer Bag to the office containing Tuesday’s office attire, a wash cloth and small towel, the return ride’s kit and the essential toiletries. Well appointed luggage is the trademark of an organized gentleman.

Repeating this process for Wed/Thurs delivers two days of excuse free riding and leaves only Wednesday for that post commute drive debate. That is three days of riding sandwiched by two days in the gym completing a work week’s worth of workouts.

The solution is always found in the doing.

Get on a Bike and Ride!